Description: At his inauguration celebration, Erwin plays matchmaker for his two favorite squad leaders. The booze seems to help his cause. Unadulterated LeviHan fluff. M for tons of innuendo, but no lemon.

Innuendo

OoO

It was a rare occasion when the Survey Corps had something to celebrate. Usually it was black suits and funerals, the occasional retirement speech. This time the corps wore their dress greens for a composite event: the retirement of Commander Shadis and anointment of Erwin Smith as his replacement. Well, in truth it wasn't a true retirement, as he was simply going to downgrade to drill sergeant for the Cadet Corps. Levi wondered if this career move was because Shadis was cracking under the pressure from above or from below as it became more and more apparent that Erwin was a better pick for top-tier leadership.

The first part of the day involved an absurd amount of standing around in the heat while the entire corps gathered to listen to the inauguration speeches. Erwin was smart enough to keep his short, sweet, and passionate (Levi concluded that there was some innuendo in there somewhere). Shadis, on the other hand, rambled on and on about his time in the corps and how it made him the man he was and etc., etc. To keep himself busy, Levi had started counting the number of corps members who'd locked out their knees and fainted.

That was the easy part of the day. As the sun began to set Levi would have to face the true challenge of proceedings- the mixer. All the training equipment had been cleared out of HQ's courtyard earlier in the week to make room for tables on tables of celebratory food. It wasn't particularly good food, as the budget had been tight as of late and meat was hard to come by, but the bread wasn't too stale and the beer was cool.

Levi found himself attempting to enjoy both at a poorly constructed event table tucked towards the corner of the festivities. He'd never been one for gatherings with many people, too many expectations and too many opportunities for things to go wrong. Especially considering that he was now in charge of some of those happenings having been recently promoted to captain. He'd never wanted to be in a place of responsibility but if Erwin said he needed him in that role, then so be it.

As if drawn in by his thoughts, the newest Commander of the Corps found his way to Levi's personal corner. The torchlight flickered off Erwin's Aryan features, the shadows sharpening an already keen jawline, as he inclined his head towards the seat across from his newest captain. Levi nodded his approval, appreciative of the courtesy his superior had shown him by refraining from barging into his company.

"Isn't it nice to see the corps in high spirits?" Erwin started, always one for conversation. He took a swig from his beer-filled stein, enjoying the bright atmosphere.

"I think it would be a convenient time for the Colossal to show up…" Levi huffed, always one to dampen the mood. His companion paid him no mind, familiar with his friend's antics, as he simply laughed off the comment. The two sat in a comfortable silence watching the goings-on. A group of younger corps members had found themselves moving in rhythm to the drums and horns that were playing obnoxiously in the center of the courtyard. The captain concluding that they had simply had too much libation for the night.

"Welcome to the club!" came a squeal from behind Levi as something soft pressed into his back. With no regard for his personal space, the perpetrator behind him proceeded to wrap their arms across his lean torso and envelop the man in a very one-sided hug.

"Hange…" Levi cautioned, but she disregarded his glare as the empty threat that it was.

"We're gonna have sooooo much fun as captains," she continued. "Erwin, I already have a bazillion plans for titan testing! I mean, step one, we need a titan and step two it needs to be alive. We can work out the details…"

Her voice faded into the background as she weaseled her way into the seat beside the man she'd just assaulted. Erwin watched with amusement as Levi squirmed next to the invader of personal space. For the performance they always put on around each other, you'd expect them to be mortal enemies. However, Erwin felt his newest captain doth protest too much.

"Oh, and here are the shots I ordered!" the woman in question exclaimed, pulling her audience out of their reverie.

Mike and Nanaba made their way through the growing crowd of dancing youth towards the group of officers, tiny cups being nursed by Nanaba as Mike parted the crowd ahead of her. While Levi always enjoyed Erwin's company, he had a bad habit of becoming in the center of attention and pulling a reluctant Levi in with him.

"I suppose we're equals now," Mike motioned towards Levi, having been there a year ago when Levi had first joined the corps.

Nanaba joined in on the congratulations, telling him "I always knew Erwin had a good eye for recruits!"

All Levi could think about was how much he'd wanted to shove a blade through Mike's throat when he'd pinned a purposefully captured Levi's face against the cobblestone of the underground. Since then, they'd grown to be cordial. He'd grown to appreciate Nanaba as well and of course her close friend Hange. Truth be told, Levi appreciated many things about Hange, one of which was the ability to trade banter without her sulking or getting offended by his harsh comments.

"Well," started Erwin in his 'commander' voice, "to the next era of the survey corps. To those we lost and those we will find. I'm a lucky man to have you all by my side."

The group hoisted a number of the shots into the air before traditionally banging them on the table and tossing them back.

Each member of the group had a different reaction to the liquor. Mike and Nanaba were somewhat sensitive to it, while Erwin barely noticed the difference between the high-proof stuff and his beer. Levi wasn't a huge fan, but Hange was feeling the drink and the mood.

"Ok, congrats and all the jazz, but your girl here is on the hunt and I'm gonna go out and find me a catch!" She exclaimed, shooting up from beside her companion and running off to what had become the dance floor.

"Hmmm?" Questioned Levi, catching her jacket as she threw it behind herself.

Nanaba sighed, "She's certainly let the alcohol get to her head."

"No, no," Erwin laughed, "I've known Hange for many years and he can hold her liquor. She's just high on the atmosphere and I've never known her to be shy about her intentions."

"Oh yeah," Mike smeared next to him. "Are you familiar with those intentions?" He winked slyly at the insinuation.

To his credit, Erwin only sipped his beer and shrugged his shoulders, staying far cooler than Levi whose ears were turning a hot pink. He supposed it was only natural considering how long the two had known each other for. Erwin had never really been sweet on anyone, at least no one Levi knew about. And Hange, well he'd never thought about that side of her, figuring she did nothing other than annoy him and concoct bizarre experiments in her lab.

He turned his attention to the woman in question. She had made her way out to the gaggle of soldiers, her form being easy to spot with how few other females there were amongst the group. She was certainly at home in the ebb and flow of the festive music. He supposed it was a byproduct of ODM training, the ability to isolate parts of the body and move them independently. He might even be good at it, though there was no way in hell he was going to test that hypothesis.

Damn, she knows how to move her hips, he thought against his will.

He rubbed at his bottom lip, resisting the urge to instinctively bite it. Goddamn, how much had he had to drink? Maybe it was the change in environment, but he was starting to see his comrade in a different light, in a literal sense as the torch shadows accentuated curves Levi hadn't noticed before. She had the perfect build: athletic but so fucking feminine.

Levi must've stared for an inappropriate amount of time because Erwin had nudged jokingly. Levi simply shook himself off and returned his attention to the people in front of him, but felt a desire start to develop nonetheless.

"If she would turn it down a bit, she'd have a better chance of landing a hit," Nanaba judged from the table.

Levi would rather she kept it turned up to max. Her hair had been rustled to perfection by her erratic movements as she swung her head back and forth in the jubilee. He was amazed that her glasses managed to stay perched on her head through the commotion but preferred them where they were. It was rare that he got to see her without her glasses on and he was starting to appreciate her naked face. She was certainly looking for a partner in crime and she shot glances across the yard to others, but Levi doubted they could keep up with her and understood what Nanaba was alluding to.

"She's just got to find someone who isn't afraid to make their intentions known, just like her," Mike noted nonchalantly.

Erwin tilted his head towards the center of the courtyard and nodded towards his subordinate, egging Levi on. To further his insinuation the Commander pushed another full shot towards the captain and raised his bold eyebrows expectantly.

Levi sighed, admitting defeat.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not shy," he said, grabbing the glass and downing the extra liquid courage.

He stood and removed his own jacket, propping it on a post alongside Hange's. The uniform was his last priority at the moment, and he was sure Erwin would take care of it for him if he did end up accomplishing his goal for the night. Erwin would almost certainly have to bring it to him later, as Levi was used to getting what he worked for and doubted tonight would be any different. He knew how to lay it on thick and it looked like his target did too.

He prowled further towards the center of the action but was careful to avoid the crowd of whirling soldiers. Leaning against an empty table and crossing his arms casually he set his sights on the woman he intended to corral. She moved seamlessly, chest bouncing carelessly to the beat. He brushed off his pants as an excuse to check himself and make sure there wasn't anything too noticeable between his legs. He was thoroughly amused at the situation, he never thought he'd find himself hard over Hange's tits.

She noticed him on the outskirts and moved through the group, dodging flying appendages, to lay out on the table next to him. He looked down at her as she threw her arms above her head and panted, taking a moment to catch her breath. Her olive skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat from the activity, her defined shoulders exposed by her undershirt.

"It looks like a might strike out tonight," Hange moaned, popping off the table to stand side by side with her companion, standing a good half a foot over him.

"Well now," Levi started, shrugging his shoulders, "the night is still young. I'm sure your intentions have attracted someone."

Hange eyed him suspiciously, unsure if he was simply making conversation or if he was insinuating something.

"Then they better make a move before I give up the hunt," Hange tried, feeling out the situation.

"Suppose they should," the captain mumbled, pulling a cleaning cloth from his pocket.

Hange rolled her eyes at his obsession, figuring she'd missed her mark thinking her short, stoic friend would be looking to score tonight.

"These are dirty," Levi deadpanned, turning towards her with his cloth at the ready.

At first, she wasn't sure what he was going on about, but quickly found out when she felt his fingers in her hair. She may have imagined it, but she swore he ran his hands through her scalp and down behind her ear before turning his attention to the glass in front of him. He had also leaned in awfully close, close enough to smell the distinct scent of muted vanilla. And Jägermeister.

There was something about how he fogged her glasses, side-eyeing her as he brought them up to his lips. He spent a few seconds circling the cloth around the lens before depositing the rag in his belt. Bringing them up to the light to examine, Levi found something to be amiss as he untucked his shirt and used the tail to reclean the frames. As he pulled the fabric free of the tuck Hange noted how a part of his toned abs ended up on display. She found her favorite part of the male form, a deep v-cut along his hips that trailed down to an area still obstructed by clothing.

She looked up to find his chin tilted upward, one eyebrow slightly raised. He'd caught her staring, but it was really his fault for flaunting the merchandise.

"Here," he motioned, as she dropped her head down for him to put her glasses back. He took the opportunity to entangle his hand in her hair and without warning yanked down, pulling her head back to look at him. An involuntary moan escaped her mouth.

"You like that do you?" he questioned coyly, giving her a hint of a smile. Her cheeks turned a deep pink as he extricated his fingers from her knotted ponytail. "If that's the case, I have something else you might like up in my quarters."

Two can play at that game.

"Oh, I've had so much to drink, I don't know if I can make it up all those stairs," she feigned, falling back on the table behind them. Sighing as she eyed her other half, wondering if he'd play along.

"Tch," he tutted, "my ass you've had too much."

Before she could protest she found herself being hauled over the shorter man's shoulder as if she weighed no more than a sack of flour. From her backward perspective slung along his back, the crowd was getting further and further away, thus the entrance to the barracks must be getting closer and closer. From the far corner she could see Erwin eyeing them from the rim of his stein. She'd bet he had something to do with this.

"You're being awfully subtle tonight," Hange jabbed playfully to her captor.

"I," began Levi, "am going to dirty things to you, woman."

She felt blush move through her cheeks, glad to be moving away from the crowd.

"I thought you were a clean freak."

"Oh, I'll clean you up too."

OoO

Erwin moved slowly through the halls of the barracks; two heavy dress green jackets tossed over his shoulder. He'd had just the right amount to drink and was feeling a pleasant buzz and he moved towards the officers' quarters. The lights under Mike, Nanaba, and Hange's doors were out for the evening, but the dim glow beneath Levi's wasn't lost on the Commander. He figured he'd at least knock and give them back their jackets before retiring for the night.

He approached the wooden door and began to knock, when a noise from inside stilled his hand. It was vaguely familiar, was that…

You know what, he thought, this can wait until morning, as he moved further down the hall to his own quarters.

Erwin only hoped he would be as good a commander as he was a matchmaker.

OoO

Haha, I love those two. Levi in this gives me some A Slap on Titan vibes, but I enjoyed writing that side of his character. This was a fun break from the angst I usually do. It was inspired by the idea that Hange is probably a damn good dancer. Let me know what you think, and if I should go on another chapter and turn this into a smut fic. Thanks for the read!

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay inspired.

-DRD